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My Journey

A Big East reunion of sorts. Kyle McAlarney, right and his Notre Dame teammate Luke Zeller, left, catch up with Bucks rookie and former West Virginia forward Joe Alexander. (Photo courtesy of Bucks.com)

Hello Staten Island basketball fans. This is the first blog that I will be writing, chronicling the current process I am undergoing. It is a crazy one, so try to keep up!

Since the college season ended I've been to Portsmouth, Virginia for a showcase tournament, Los Angeles to workout for a month, back home, a workout with the Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, Wednesday with the NY Knicks, and have two more scheduled with Portland and Boston. The traveling is exhausting, but that is the life of an NBA player, and playing basketball for a living was always a dream of mine.

I've endured so much, worked so hard, beat the odds, and had so much fun leading up to this point. I am in a great position and feel lucky to have such an opportunity. Thanks to you all for the love and support up until now. What a great group of people the basketball community on Staten Island is. No matter what people say about the island, everyone should be proud of all the players, past, present and future, as well as the coaches and fans. Without the players before me, I wouldn't have anyone to look up to, without the coaches who coached me, I wouldn't have the knowledge and overall game that I rely on, and without the general community's support, I simply wouldn't have made it this far.

Enjoy my insight and please feel free to leave any questions or comments, I will do my best to answer. If I don't satisfy your cravings, then reach out to me somehow, I'm sure you coach someone, play with someone, or know someone, who knows someone. Staten Island is not a big place.

At the Portsmouth Invitational, featuring the top seniors around the country, we played in front of countless NBA and European scouts. Being lucky to have been invited, I literally cried when I found out.

Once in big time college basketball, I quickly realized the level of talent, but also learned what a cutthroat business it becomes as the level gets higher. Only 64 guys get invited, and I knew that there were some great players out there. When I met with Coach Brey and he told me the good news, I broke into tears of happiness. To some, it may not seem like a big deal, but it was one of my main goals prior to the season. I remember telling a close friend, "I have to get invited to Portsmouth."

The past season had its ups, but also had its downs. It was a tough year, but the feeling I got that night rejuvenated me, it gave me the realization that my dream is not too far away. I apologize for the runoff, but young players on the island need to know that no matter how old you get, chasing your dream never ends. Whatever it may be, never stop, never lose that passion. So many guys in basketball lose it because of so many reasons. My message is to chase it everyday, however that may be. It is as simple as remaining focused.That is what I am doing.

Back to the tourney. Long story short, I was playing combo guard at ND, now, I am back to my natural position at PG. I credit Mike Fafian for making the move from shooting guard to point when I was in 5th grade for the SI Lightning. Thanks Mike.

Being at the point, I ran the team extremely well, made great decisions, and shot it great one game, good the other two. However, being able to show that I can run a team, win games, while still using my shot as a weapon was what I wanted to do. Mission accomplished. It was fun.

My parents were able to make it to the championship game, and from there, we drove home on Easter Sunday to spend the day with family. Next, I flew back to school to finish up classes and workout. When my finals were done, I flew to LA to meet with my agent Dan Fegan, and workout until graduation.

While in LA, my daily routine was one that for me was ideal. I really was living the life I always wanted to, other than not being on the island. 9:30 workout on the court, this consisted of mainly game shots, game moves, while working on certain things and running a whole lot throughout. After an hour and fifteen, pay a visit to the strength and conditioning coach. We worked a lot on flexibility, balance, and speed work. Depending on the day, we combined lower body workouts, explosive workouts, and upper body workouts. After a grueling morning session, we had lunch and rested for about an hour, then back to the court. This time, we focused on either just shooting, situational 2 on 2's (pick and rolls, down screens, etc), and 1 on 1's. The whole day was filled with instruction throughout the workouts. Then, I would go back to my apartment and put my feet up and rest up for another great day at the office.

I am lucky enough to have developed great habits while in college. I'm very on top of myself. I try to eat healthy so my body can withstand the beating I give it every day. I've also always been very good at getting a good night's sleep. While relaxing, I studied the game.

Because the NBA is just a different level of talent than I ever expected, the game is totally different. The court is more spread out because of the longer 3pt line, the defenders are longer and more athletic, and it is way more physical. The little things that go unnoticed in a game are things that those guys have mastered. Such things as footwork to get open, a little bump to the defender to catch him off balance.

The playoffs were great this year, and gave me a great chance to study the game. The workouts in LA led me up to this point, pre draft workouts. I will give daily updates on how they went, and what my personal workout was like for that day. I encourage questions or comments about drills, the draft process, or anything at all.

Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets

Going into the Kings workout, I was very excited. It was my first one, and I knew the competition I would be going up against would be the best I would see. I worked out with Johnny Flynn, Brandon Jennings, and Jrue Holiday along with two big guys. All three of those point guards are projected to go pretty high in the draft, and deservedly so.

Going into these workouts, I have a few things I want to accomplish. First of all, I have to separate myself by out shooting everyone. I don't just mean the guys at the current workout, I mean guys they worked out in the past, and guys in the future. It is important for me to establish myself as the best shooter out there, which I am confident I am.

Also, I want to show my PG skills. This means making great decisions in 3 on 3 situations, winning the games, being vocal, and showing my high basketball IQ. Lastly, I want to be the toughest, most competitive player out there.

For the young players, the little things matter. I am still the same as I was when I was at St. Teresa. First one in line for the drill, first one to cross the line, running when the coaches call for a huddle, and all the other little things. It shows a lot, so always strive to be that guy.

We warmed up, then got right to shooting drills. I excelled and beat everyone. Next was one on one from the wing. This is when the workouts get real competitive and physical. Off the catch, it was only three dribbles. I did ok in this portion. The trouble I have sometimes is guarding bigger guys. Because of my size, the big guys take one dribble, and muscle their way to a jump hook right over me. I'm learning how to play it better. But for now I try to out smart them, either by drawing a charge, swiping the ball away, or using their momentum against them somehow.

After a few times around, we went to full court one on one. This was the toughest drill so far. We had to pick the guy up within two feet of him from one baseline. While the offense tried to get by the defense, the defense did his best to stay in front of him. For any good guard, it shouldn't be too hard to get by the defender. However, when the defense is hustling right behind you or along side you to stop you, it gets tough. I consider myself in great physical shape, and when I went up against one of the guys, I sensed he was tired, so I was able to force him to the sideline into a shot where he couldn't even reach the basket because of fatigue.

Being not as quick or athletic as these guys, I can match their athleticism by out thinking them, out running them, out competing them, being stronger, and out shooting them. Just because they may jump like a basketball player should, or stand as tall as one expects a player to does not mean they are better.

Lastly, we played three on three from different situations. We played full court, we played off ball screens, and down screens. My team won 2 out of 3. It was intense and a lot of fun. I met with the staff after, and felt very good about how the workout went.

Next was Milwaukee. Here, I was paired with 4 big guys, and one other guard, Nano De Colo from France. I felt extra confident and pretty fresh at the start.

We began with some skill work, dribbling moves, and shooting drills. Then one on one. We played from the wing, then from the top of the key. This time I only played against the other guard. I won from both spots.

I was able to back him up with some moves I've really been working on to get my shot off. Once he knew I could really shoot it, I was able to get him to stand tall with a few head fakes, or just by looking at the basket. Again, the little things make a huge difference.

Next, to competitive shooting drills. My goal is always to separate myself in this part, and in this workout, I did more than that. One of the drills was to take and make as many shots from elbow to elbow in 1 minute. The most shots is usually 27, with the most makes prior to me being around 20. I made 26 of 27. According to Kelvin Sampson, one of the assistants, I set a record.

I didn't stop there, as I won every other shooting drill after that. I expect to win those drills, however, and I know the coaches do as well. I was definitely pleased to shoot that well.

From here, we went to 3 on 3. I made plays, offensively and defensively, I made shots, I didn't turn it over, and my team won. This was clearly my best performance to date. After the meeting with the GM and staff, I got the feeling that they were very impressed with my performance.

I traveled to New Jersey that same day. However, it didn't go as planned. I was delayed for 4 hours in Milwaukee. After having a major delay a few days prior, I was as frustrated as can be. However, instead of focusing on the delay, I focused on what a great opportunity I've been given.

Thinking about the workouts, the unpredictable future, and challenge ahead certainly helped me get through the delay.

While in New Jersey, I was up against AJ Abrams. It was pretty much the same format, but a little shorter. There were no shooting games, just some drills at the end of the workout. I did well in the one on one games, and even better in the 3 on 3's. Because of the situations they put us in, it forces me to make decisions, to put guys in the right positions, and because the court is spread out, there is more spacing on the floor.

I had another good showing, and walked away very pleased. I met with the GM and staff just as in the other two cities and left it all out on the floor.

Sorry for such a long one, I had to fill you guys in up to date,the ones to follow will be shorter. I have a workout with the Knicks, Celtics, and Trail Blazers coming up. I'll be sure to update the blog daily.